


Be Happy Eiji

by theteareader



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ash Lynx Lives, Ash Lynx Needs A Hug, Hurt No Comfort, I wrote this for myself, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Okumura Eiji Needs a Hug, Sad Ending, Sad Okumura Eiji, Why Did I Write This?, sad(ish) ending??? I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29959665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theteareader/pseuds/theteareader
Summary: It had been three months since Eiji had left America. Three months since half of Ash’s soul left on a plane back to JapanOr Ash lives and decides to surprise Eiji by going to Japan... it does not go as planned.
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 13
Kudos: 33





	Be Happy Eiji

It had been three months since Eiji had left America. Three months since half of Ash’s soul left on a plane back to Japan. 

He had been content with just dying in that library, Eiji’s letter stained with his blood and tears, clutched in his hand. But someone must have spotted him- slumped over the table, dying, and called an ambulance.

Over the chaos in the ambulance, the paramedics that were trying to stop Ash from bleeding out, he had kept an iron grip on Eiji’s letter. Never letting go of it. Not once. 

Ash woke up in a hospital bed, stiff and sore. The first thing he looked for was that letter. The one and only possession he cared about. 

Panic quickly set in when he couldn't find it. He started to get up out of the bed, ready to demand to know where it was. A nurse came in, shocked to see him up but fast to order him to sit down as it would only injure him more by standing. Ash huffed and slowly sat down, wincing a bit at the fresh wound. He recovered from the pain and demanded to know where the hell that letter was. 

The nurse left the room, leaving Ash alone with his thoughts but, of course, the only thing on his mind was Eiji.

_ My soul is always with you. _

Ash smiled to himself. A small soft smile he reserved for Eiji.

His thoughts vanished as the nurse re-entered the room holding a plastic bag. His possessions. He quickly grabbed the bag from the nurse, dismissing her by turning his head away and rifling through the bag.

_ Where is it?  _

_ It has to be here _

Tears began to swell in his eyes. He couldn't find it.

Just before he gave up, he felt it. Tucked into the pocket of his overcoat. One of the nurses must have put it in there while they were collecting his things. He took it out.

The letter was neatly put back into its envelope,  _ Dear Ash _ written in Eiji’s elegant handwriting across the front. 

Carefully, as to not tear the envelope, Ash took out the letter and read through again, hands shaking as he did so. 

For the first time in a long while, Ash cried openly. 

  
  


_________

  
  


Max was quick to find out the news and came to Ash as soon as he heard. 

Max was good company to keep around, he kept Ash occupied and up to date with all the news. They found Lao’s body, slumped up against a wall, dead.  _ Gang violence _ , they said and dismissed it. 

The police came to Ash so they could question him about how he got stabbed, to which he replied it was by accident. 

Charlie was the main detective on the case and he already knew about Ash’s history, he soon put two and two together, connecting Ash to Lao and stopped the investigation. Case closed. 

Max still hadn’t told Ibe what had happened, well couldn’t. Since the photographer and his assistant returned to Japan, there has been no communication between them and New York.

Ash wanted to see Eiji. So badly. He missed him so much that he often re-read his letter just to feel closer to him. Soon, he would be. 

On his last day in the hospital, almost a month after the stabbing, Max came in with an envelope. He handed it to Ash with a hidden smile on his face. Ash, being the hopeless romantic he is, hoped it was another letter from Eiji. Carefully, he took it and opened it, not to find a letter but a plane ticket. To  Izumo, Japan.

To Eiji 

_ To home.  _

  
  
  


__________

  
  
  


Thinking back, Ash felt stupid for not contacting Eiji while he was in the hospital. Of course, he could have just given him a call or even a short text saying  _ Hey, I’m alive btw! _ But he wanted this trip to be a surprise for Eiji. 

Ash was leaving America, New York, his gang, for good. He announced last week that Alex would be the new boss. There was a bit of questioning but that was about Ash leaving, not Alex’s role in leadership. 

When he went to inform Max of his plans about staying in Japan, Max had smiled and replied “There’ll always be a room in my house for you kid” 

He didn’t have any other people to say goodbye to before leaving so the farewells were short. He packed a small bag filled with his little possessions and carefully tucked Eiji’s letter into his coat pocket. He has read it so many times he could almost recite the entire thing. He does actually, only to himself of course. No one else knows about the letter. 

His flight number was called, he stood up, safely putting the letter back into his pocket. The last line was like an anthem in his head. 

_ My soul is always with you. My soul is always with you. My soul is always with you.  _

He boarded the plane and took his seat, a window seat. Perfect. 

With his bag pressed up against his chest, Ash closed his eyes and smiled. 

__________

After almost seventeen hours in the sky and two layovers later, Ash had finally made it to  Izumo. 

He’s a bit tired after the flight but not too tired to see Eiji. 

Before leaving Max’s house, Max had pressed a piece of paper into Ash’s hand. Said paper had the name and address of Ibe’s photography shop on it which was where Eiji worked. 

Ash took out the piece of paper with the address on it out of his pocket. It wasn’t far from the airport. He could walk. 

While he was walking he thought of all the things he could say to Eiji. Was a simple ‘ _ hi I missed you’ _ enough? Maybe he should get him something. 

Keeping on that last thought, Ash turned into a shop and picked out some yellow daisies he thought looked nice.  _ Eiji would like these. _

With his bunch of flowers and heart full of hope, he made his way fully into the town of Izumo.

Eiji was right. It was beautiful. Everything was dusted with a light coat of pink from the blossom trees. Eiji always told Ash they bloomed in the spring. It made Ash feel peaceful, hopeful. People milled around the crowded streets. It was nearly six o clock so they must be all heading home. Every single one of them either smiled or nodded hello at Ash as he passed. People in New York never did that. Ash smiled back. 

Ash made it into the heart of the town and realised that he was very near Ibe’s shop. Heart pounding and palms sweating, he looked around trying to catch the name of the shop. 

He spotted it from across the street. It was not a big shop like the other ones around it, but it stood out with its odd colour. Green. Green like Ash’s eyes. 

Ash’s heart sped up as he crossed the street.

He stopped. 

There he was.

Eiji.

His Eiji 

Coming out of the jade coloured shop, Ash spotted the familiar body. Tall and slender with a tuft of black hair.  _ It looks longer,  _ Ash said to himself, thinking of the last time he saw the boy, which had not been under ideal circumstances.

Next to him walked a girl. 

She was pretty. Small, with long wavy dark hair. And her arm was wrapped around Eiji’s waist. She seemed to be laughing at something Eiji had said. In response, Eiji had his natural laugh spread across his face. Happy, careless. He was so open and carefree around her. 

_ Around her _ , Ash realises 

_ Not him. No. never around Ash.  _

Being with Ash meant always being on the run from something. Never a moment of rest.

All Ash would bring around is misery and sadness.

He realised that this was stupid and that he never should have come to Japan in the first place. 

Looking back over to the other side of the street to where Eiji was, he could see Eiji and the girl start to close up the shop, pulling down on the outer metal door and locking it. 

Eiji then turned around and hugged the girl. A tight deep hug that Ash has only experienced with Eiji before. 

_ This, _ thought Ash,  _ is where Eiji belongs. Not with me.  _

Ash quietly smiled and let the tears roll down his cheeks. 

_ My soul is always with you too, Eiji, _ he thought.

Before Eiji could look from where his head was placed on the girls head, Ash turned around and walked away. 

__________

It had been three months since Eiji had come back to Japan and three months since he left his soul behind. 

He often thought about writing another letter to Ash, asking him how he’s been, but he was always been too scared to. 

_ He’ll come in his own time,  _ Eiji thought to himself.

Eiji still worked in Ibe’s shop with one of his closest friends from school, Yui. They never had anything romantic going on between them but they were always there for each other when things got rough. 

When Eiji returned from America, Yui was the first person to visit him in the hospital. He told her all about the adventure that he had had in America and about the boy he met. Yui had been so excited that Eiji met someone and had asked when she could meet this mysterious American boy. 

_ Soon, hopefully. He _ had replied. 

It was now three months on, Eiji was mostly recovered, and he had still heard nothing from Ash. 

His Ash. 

One evening, he and Yui were closing up the shop when Eiji suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his chest. A longing for Ash. 

After locking up the shop, Eiji turned around and hugged Yui. At first, she was surprised by his sudden show of affection but she soon understood and tugged Eiji closer to her.

After what seemed like forever, Eiji looked up and froze.

He saw him.

A shock of blond hair in the crowd. 

Walking away from him.

Eiji quickly released Yui and walked across the street. 

But it was too late. The man with blond hair was gone. Lost in the mass of people. 

_ It couldn’t have been him. _ Eiji bought that ticket for Ash months ago. It had definitely expired.

_ Ash, my Ash.  _

“Hey,” Yui had caught up with Eiji, a slightly worried look on her face. “Where d’ya go?”

Eiji realised that he was standing in the middle of the street, cars honking at him to move. 

“Uhh..” Eiji was not quite sure what to say. Finally, he said,” I thought I saw someone I knew, that’s all.” 

“Oh,” replied Yui, “Did you catch up to them?”

Eiji shook his head. 

“No worries.” perked Yui, “I’m sure you’ll see them again. Now, let’s go to that cafe you were talking about” 

Eiji nodded and allowed himself to be pulled away.

He doesn’t say much for the rest of the night. 

__________

  
  


The next morning, Eiji walked to the shop to open it up. After yesterday evening's events, he has been quiet. Distracted. Yui had helped him through. She filled in the heavy silences with carefree chatter while Eiji attempted to listen. He never did. 

He couldn't get over how much that person had  _ looked _ like Ash.

_ What if it was Ash?  _

_ No, he would never just walk away. _

_ What if he just didn’t see me? _

_ I should have gone after him. _

All of these thoughts and questions bounced around Eiji’s head until his alarm went off, telling him he had to get up.

He was just about to unlock the shop when he saw something tucked into the letterbox. A letter. And a bunch of yellow daisies. 

Carefully he took the daisies out of the slot and peaked at the letter to see who it was addressed to. 

_ Eiji  _ was written in handwriting as familiar to him as his own. 

Slowly, as to not tear the letter, Eiji opened the seal with shaking hands. 

The letter contained one simple line. A simple line that shattered Eiji’s already broken heart. 

_ Be happy, Eiji.  _

_ -A _

Eiji’s knees hit the ground with a thud.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I'm releasing so... enjoy :)
> 
> Note: please excuse the grammar errors, I made my friend read over it and try to fix it. English is my first language but I'm still shit at it :D


End file.
